My Supply Closet
by Sora-M-Jigen
Summary: Janitor finds Elliot in a supply closet.


The staff of Sacred Heart often sought out the medical supplies closet or their offices for a moment of solitude and solace. Yet today, Elliot was so upset that instead of hiding in the medical supply closet as always, she accidentally stumbled into a janitorial supply closet. She didn't notice of course as she collapsed to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest so she could bury her face in them. Thankfully wood muffled sound so no one heard her crying – not even Janitor as he opened the door.

This was a first. No wait, fifth. He used to catch the interns sometimes making out in his supply closets to which they would receive a scowl and possibly a simple prank. It was his way of saying 'don't do it again' to which they understood. Sometimes he caught someone crying in his supply closet and even then, they bolted out before he could offer a listening ear.

It was even more so that it was Elliot who was on the floor crying that made this moment different from the rest. Elliot was always this floating sun in the hospital's halls. To see her so sad like this, he swore he felt his heart writhe and his brain began to work overtime into thinking what he could do to help her. He quietly prayed for some fraction of a miracle to help him with the situation at hand. Thankfully none of the other doctors were around as stood with his looming height and an attempted kind gaze.

"Blonde Doctor?" Janitor spoke as calmly as he could. His stern tone still lingered and he mentally chastised himself for not being more compassionate.

"Jan-Janitor? Why are y-you in the med supply cl-closet?" Elliot fumbled with her words, not daring to look up.

"This is the cleaning supply closet." Janitor wasn't sure what tone to take with that, but it didn't matter as he watched Elliot's head shoot up like a firework. In the dim light he saw mascara trailing her rosy cheeks down to her startled lips. Her eyes were wide and rimmed with tears – it was something he never wanted to see, his Blonde Doctor so upset, and he felt his heart twinge in sympathy and pain. It was weird, janitors weren't supposed to have emotions, but he couldn't deny what he felt for Elliot.

What he felt for Elliot surmounted anything he had ever experienced in his life. He swore it was possibly the most powerful thing to dominate him at times especially when she acknowledged him. Frankly, Janitor had more small talk and an actual conversation with her more so than anyone else in Sacred Heart. They made each other laugh and smile and he never wanted those minutes to end. Come to think of it, she was the only one to notice him with a little wave, a smile, some form of greeting. It was the little things he believed, especially when she did them, that made his heart skip. But now his heart thrummed with concern at the sobbing woman before him.

"Frick! I-I'm sorry, I'll get out-"

"No!" She recoiled at this one word and he bit his cheek. Too rough, calm it down. Janitor took a deep breath, knowing he had to be gentle with her as seeing she was already falling apart. "No, no, please. Stay."

To prove his point, he quickly righted himself and closed the door behind them and flicked on the light. He opened up a fold out chair to which he offered Elliot as she shook her head, declining his gesture. Kneeling at her level, his stormy grey eyes met with hers' and she swallowed her tears.

"What's wrong?" Janitor asked as calmly as he could as he opened himself to her waiting to hear her words. When she responded with a few sniffles, he offered her a handkerchief as she took it with trembling fingers.

"T-thanks. S-sorry." Elliot started, blowing her nose into the rag and Janitor watched her shoulders slump even more. "It's j-just I-I've got a lot on my mind."

Janitor nodded to show he was listening. He definitely understood where she was coming from. He had been down that road before and instead of crying he turned to whiskey and jum, his mistresses. He had been avoiding them for a while now, wanting to do better and be a better person especially for Elliot.

"JD dumped me-"

'Again,' Janitor thought to himself.

"-Again." Elliot finished and Janitor's widened eyes went unnoticed as well as his momentary belief that he thought Elliot had telepathy. He tried to think of something else.

"Then C-C-Cox was bein' such a prick." Damnit it didn't work! Janitor scratched that idea out of his mind and started to plot revenge against JD and Cox for making his Elliot cry. 'His Elliot' that term made his cheeks flush pink for a moment before shaking the shade away. His affections were no match for Elliot's current state.

"Then m-my parents are just just," Elliot took a deep breath, "total frickheads."

Janitor had never heard of her parents giving her trouble before. Arching his brow he leaned in a little closer. Tears still slipped from her eyes as she buried them in the cloth and her hands. Elliot never spoke of her parents and it was at then he began to wonder why. He briefly recalled seeing them – the mother looked like a luxurious movie star, but had a snide demeanor while her father was a wealthy man. He hadn't heard them speak and briefly saw them before something caught his attention.

Janitor knew Elliot had grown up spoiled, but it never deterred the way his heart pounded for her. He swore he could hear it ringing in his ears along with Elliot's sobs once more.

"'Elliot, when are y-you going to get m-married?' 'Elliot, why aren't y-you skinn-nnier?' 'Elliot, w-why didn't you bec-become a gynocol-'-"

Janitor couldn't take it anymore and pulled her close, reclining against the wall. She allowed him, burying her face into her hands against his chest. She was so small in his arms as she brought herself as close as possible to him. Now granted if he were any other man he would take complete advantage of this situation, but nothing carnal or hormonal could dominate his senses .The woman in his arms was someone meant to be cared for and comforted. With his one hand gently rubbing her back, the other lingered at the middle of her back not wanting to invade anything lower. In a way he was grateful that Elliot hadn't looked up to find a crimson blush staining his cheeks. His mind was racing between the fact that Elliot was in his arms and cheering her up.

"Blonde Doc-…Elliot." Janitor spoke in a gentle tone that Elliot had never heard before as he silently hoped that he was doing everything right. His voice made her stop sobbing for a moment as she sniffled.

"You're a wonderful woman. You save lives, you endure so much, and yet you still come out smelling like roses." Beautiful roses at that he mused to himself as he stared at her golden crown of hair. "And if people don't appreciate that, then they've got rocks in their heads."

Elliot fell quiet, knowing the Janitor was right. Her hands fell away from her face and wrapped around the Janitor embracing him, causing his blush to deepen. Yes, he had received hugs from her before, but nothing quite like this. He bit his inner cheek as she rested her head against his chest. His one hand ghosted at the scrubs she wore, comfortingly tracing her shoulder blade and from this simple notion her body calmed against his'. He breathed a sigh of relief in knowing that he was helping her in some fashion and if he looked down, he would have seen a miniature smile creeping onto her face.

Elliot's heart murmured when she was around Janitor. He made her laugh with the pranks he pulled, he made her mind head reel at his gentlemanly mannerisms (which only she seemed to be exposed to), and he made her smile whenever she saw him. He often complimented her and while Carla had teased about him liking her, she would giggle and smile. She had thought about him romantically from time to time and it was a fantasy she often enjoyed, based on how he treated her.

"It's going to be all right, Elliot." His words snapped her from her thoughts and she recalled the situation at hand. Janitor was holding her, comforting her from some rough few weeks, and being incredibly gentle with her from gesture to voice. It was a side that no one really saw of him other than her and in a way it made her feel special. She wondered if he could hear the way her heart was beating against his chest. It was so loud she swore she heard it in her head and that it was the only sound that rocked her anatomy next to her breathing.

Janitor wasn't sure what caused him to slide his hands from her back and softly grasp her forearms. No sooner he pressed his lips to her forehead, he felt the world stop. Her skin was warm from crying and it melded well with his desert like lips. Time stopped. His heart stopped and breathing became hard. Janitor could feel his lungs tighten and his brain become submerged in terror as thousands of questions pierced him from the inside out. What are you doing? What if she freaks out? When will you understand that she'll never go with you? When will you see that she won't love you? What the Hell is wrong with you? Why don't you have control? Where are your manners? Why did you do that? What is she going to do? What is she going to-

"Thank you." Was all that emerged from Elliot's lips, shattering his internal questions. Looking up, Elliot saw Janitor's frightened eyes and could feel the tension radiating from him. His body trapped in a state of time, resounding with the question of what will she do?

A little smile danced onto Elliot's face. One of mischievous mannerisms, cleverness, and beauty. It was a wonderful small smile and he felt his heart start up once more, pounding like a woodpecker to a trunk. She had to have heard it as he watched her lips curl, exposing her eye teeth. Her wide blue sky eyes seemed to be brighter than the lone light above them. Time slowly shifted again, the old cogs turning in some eternal clock of transparency and the world possibly started to move, spinning has it had always done before Janitor made it stop. Air sluggishly made its way into his lungs and his brain kicked into gear, making him breathe despite the clamp of fear still gripping him.

Leaning up some, Elliot's lips collided with his' and he felt his blush grow exponentially; coating his face and trickling down his neck and spine and coiling his legs and torso and arms. Something kicked in, Janitor wasn't sure what, but he rolled with it. His fingertips traced along the curves of her arms and shoulders, causing her to get closer to him. His hands found comfort at the small of her back and hers at his shoulders.

Chastity kept itself in their kiss, never exploring beyond that. It was what they both wanted. This wasn't a moment to heighten into hormonal indulgences, but rather a happenstance powered by feelings rooted in their hearts.

Yes, it had been a while since Elliot was tricked by Janitor into a date, but the more she thought about that night she realized a few things. Janitor actually treated her as to how a woman should be treated. He listened to her crazy antics and accepted them while regaling her with his own, he didn't pry, he appreciated her, and he remembered everything she uttered. She had known this side of him from their time at the hospital, but on the date it appeared to be more amplified. Elliot liked that person. She wanted to know even more about that person and go on more dates with them. A relationship seemed doable with this person that she had never really considered before. Originally she had understood his feelings, but did not bear any emotions for him. But now…now things were different.

Elliot's lower lip tugged slightly at his as she pulled away from him. She saw how scarlet his cheeks had turned and how gentle his facial features had become. Her wide sky blues met with his stormy sea orbs and beneath them rested a little curve of a smile. She returned one back, followed by a breathless laughter which he too engaged in. Janitor couldn't keep his eyes off her as he held her close and she wrapped her arms around his neck, occasionally hiding her face in the crook of his neck. He felt her laughter on his skin and it sent goosebumps down his back, but how he loved them. Her snorts shook her frame and he kissed her temple and cheek because he was as thankful as he could be for having such a lovely woman in his life. Janitor didn't want to leave this closet and she didn't want to separate from his arms as she kissed his cheek and he grinned.

Elliot remembered that he flashed that grin on their date and she adored how it brought out the man she fell in love with.

"Say um, wanna get a cup of mud?" Janitor interjected and she smirked.

"Are you going to show up in a suit again?" Elliot joked and he chuckled softly.

"Well, for you I could."

"No need." Once more, Elliot kissed him, but this time it was filled with unrestrained emotions she had for Janitor and he smiled against her lips. Although Janitor did look fantastic in a suit she wanted nothing more than to see Janitor sitting across from her over coffee as himself.


End file.
